To me, prayer shouldn’t be separate from daily life, but should arise spontaneously from it, inspired by the ordinary sights, sounds and experiences that surround us. That was the raison d’être behind my series of books, Touched By His Hand, Touching Down, Touching the Seasons and Heaven Touching Earth, supplemented by Calling Mars and Calling Venus, both written at the suggestion of Kevin Mayhew and aimed specifically at men and women respectively. In the following, for example, taken from Calling Venus, a business meeting leads on to asking whether we are open to exploring new horizons in our faith.
The business meeting
They had to decide,
for or against:
whether to invest millions in the new product
or to play safe and turn it down.
Running with it was risky,
no doubt about that,
a positive response entailing massive expenditure
that could well spell disaster.
Yet the rewards, should they pull it off,
were, correspondingly, potentially huge,
enough to keep the company ahead of its competitors
and guarantee its growth for years to come.
They debated and argued,
but couldn’t reach agreement,
the board split down the middle,
so finally it was her job –
as chair of the meeting –
to use her casting vote,
and she had no hesitation in giving the thumbs up to the initiative.
Save me, Lord, from cautious discipleship,
a faith that is afraid to take risks.
Help me to recognise that what I cannot do alone
is more than possible with you.
Teach me, then, to recognise and grasp the opportunities you provide –
for service,
for witness
and for growth in grace.
However tempting it may be to hold on to what is reassuringly familiar,
give me the courage I need to step out into the unknown,
exploring new horizons,
new experiences of your love.
Amen.